Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Red?


Daybreak Silence
Original oil painting  20x10"
by Susan Roux

This is the popular red house on Monhegan Island. Some subjects from the island have been painted over and over again. This is true of this unusual house. It sits on a rock face with a small beach tuck inside my hidden cove. Most of the day, this facade is in shadow. I was stunned early one morning as I walked the silent streets at daybreak to see it lit in glorious golden sunlight.

I've never been a follower. I pride myself for seeing things from a different angle. I've been approached before by artists asking where on Monhegan is a particular scene I've depicted? So when I saw the crimson colored house transformed to a stunning cadmium red in morning light, I knew right away I had to paint it.

It's November already and many of us are thinking of holiday art. The color red is suddenly in the forefront of our minds. I had to chuckle at myself for choosing to paint this now, when clearly it appears to be orange next to a true Christmas red.

It's a lovely red and green scene, isn't it?

You can expect the unexpected from me. I work hard. I feel deeply. I notice things that many others never see. My view is often slanted, skewed. The photos I work from are usually from an angle that would be impossible to capture painting plein air. I like to duck low, perhaps with a few forefront flowers veiling the distance. I tingle with joy at offering people a view they wouldn't usually experience.

So if you're used to seeing this house painted in lovely crimson, my version might look unusual to you. Unusual yes, but not a fantasy. Just remember, early in the day it shines in lit-up beauty!

So are you painting red for the upcoming holiday season?

What shade are you using?




15 comments:

  1. j'aime aussi le rouge en peinture.. étonné de voir un coin très graphique dans ce tableau.. le gros cailloux font le passage vers les maisons..c'est nouveau!

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  2. lovely painting and beautiful colors!. I really love how everything looks so golden during daybreak and during sunset as well, especially in the autum

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  3. This is such a different light of that "red house"--looks like you had fun with it.

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  4. I applaud you! Please don't ever become a follower and please ALWAYS paint things the way you want to! I love the little house in all it's sweet glory there!

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  5. Hi Susan....No follower here, either. ha! Birds of a feather, stick together. It can get lonely at times but I still like to beat to my own drum.

    Love the painting. Beautiful.

    For the holidays, I like gold, although some red always slips in . Susan p.s. Thanks for your visit and comment on my blog today, too!

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  6. Without looking at it closely, I felt it almost looked like a colorful tram. Maybe it looks a like a house when seen in person, but for me the illusion of a tram looks quite good.
    Nice painting Susan!

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  7. Beautiful combination of colors, Susan, and the way the flowers in the foreground lead the eye toward the house - really lovely. And as for reds, I'm a fan of cad red light.

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  8. An extremely gorgeous painting, Susan! Great colors!
    I like the bit of reflection.

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  9. The little red house looks sun-drenched in your painting and I want to reach for sunglasses. Beautiful!

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  10. This one makes me happy just looking at the sun saturated colors. I love the way you played with the blues and lavenders in the shade. Wish I had a fun shaped building like that where I live.

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  11. A force de boire du bon bordeaux, tu vois rouge !
    Voir rouge pourrait aussi vouloir dire que tu es en colère... Non tu le deviens seulement lorsque ta peinture te résiste, mais cela ne dure pas ! Tu as une grande maîtrise de ton sujet... et finalement tu fonces tel un taureau sur la cape ROUGE! encore!!...

    Ici, tu as peint une excellente toile... et une fois j'aimerais que tu m'emmènes voir cette petite maison rouge... grivoise!
    J'aime les nuance de ces merveilleuses couleurs...

    Gros bisous

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  12. Wonderful palette and the sun-bathed house is glorious. Your posts are always filled with so much food for thought...The painting is beautiful and I wish I could have seen these few minutes of splendor with you and your eyes!

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  13. Magnifique 'rouge', j'aime cette luminosité !
    Merci de ton passage sur mon blog.
    Bises
    cath.

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  14. Lovely color and so unique - I would know it was your work immediately as it has your signature style and sensitivity.

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